WASHINGTON -- Washingtonians will be able to choose from 10 new part-time graduate programs at the Johns Hopkins Center for Continuing Graduate Programs, slated to open in downtown D.C. this fall.

Johns Hopkins University officials are attempting to expand an already vigorous extension program and capitalize on a recent boom in part-time graduate studies.

Despite the declining state of the economy, the Johns Hopkins Montgomery County Center in Rockville has grown from 1,900 students when it opened in 1988 to 4,400 students enrolled this year, said Hopkins President William C. Richardson.

Richardson spoke yesterday at a news conference at the university's School of Advanced International Studies near Dupont Circle, where the courses will be offered.

A master of liberal arts program on the Washington campus received some 1,800 inquiries for applications when it opened in 1989, Richardson said.

"Our major problem [has been] accommodating all of the students," he said.

Several hundred Washington-area students are expected to enroll in the new program this fall, seeking master's degrees in health policy, business telecommunication,human resource development, marketing, education and writing, and in a certificate program in environmental engineering.

Three more master's programs will be offered in the fall of 1993: policy studies, American studies and drama.

Because the school will be housed in an existing university building, start-up costs are expected to be low -- about $200,000 over five years, said Stanley Gabor, the dean of the School of Continuing Studies.

Tuition is expected to be "competitive" with schools in the area, ranging from $250 and $500 per credit, Richardson said. Classes will be held evenings and weekends.

Johns Hopkins has offered continuing education since its founding in 1876, when the university president instituted afternoon lecture courses for the people of Baltimore.